ENG140Y1 Lecture 4: 04 White Noise 2
Document Summary
Part 2: the airborne toxic event: the toxic event: a portrait of the reaction to crises. Satire of contemporary media; misinformation: the name of the cloud shifts; the symptoms change, sensationalism surrounding health scares, sars, swine flu, etc. The media irresponsibly spreads exaggerated or false information. The consumption of disaster: the family"s reaction to the disaster. Family is typically absorbed by disaster, as when they watch tv: academics talk about the role of disaster in society; we like to see. California in disaster so we can blame them for their laxness. Conversely, what does the community do when it faces disaster rsthand: the characters are forced into a reversal. Middle class people forced into desperate conditions: they lose their privilege; something that happens to poor people. When disaster reaches the family, there is no news coverage: they feel they deserve some attention for their suffering.
